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MLS Columbus Crew SC

Gehrig Doesn't Expect German Letdown in Final

July 10, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Columbus Crew SC News Release


Before Germany's Semifinal match against Brazil, Crew defender Eric Gehrig said he was confident because he thought Germany hadn't played its best match yet. Seven goals later, the Crew defender looks quite prophetic with that statement.

"I think it was a combination of the Germans playing really well, very efficiently, and I think it also was a bad plan by Brazil," said Gehrig. "They were a little exposed in the back and not on the same page. David Luiz was all over the place. There was a lot of criss-crossing; that's not what you want defensively. It was a combination of the Germans playing really, really well and Brazil playing not so well."

The challenge for Die Mannschaft now is sustaining that dominance for one more match in order to become World Cup Champions. Gehrig continued to be confident in Germany by saying that he thinks the side can do it.

"They're so full of confidence and I think they can almost taste it at this point. Everything went well for them against Brazil. They kind of broke that little slump they were in as far as scoring goals and playing more direct, more attractive soccer. I think they were a little frustrated by some of the teams they had played since Portugal, and they broke through against Brazil.

"I don't really see a letdown against Argentina. The Germans know what they need to do; they know what it's going to take to get the job done. With the pressure, guys like Jogi Löw, Schweini, Lahm, these guys are one game away from winning the World Cup, and I think they're going to get it done."

Gehrig revealed that around the time of the Round of 16, he and teammate Federico Higuain devised a bet should Germany and Argentina meet in the Final. Three wins for each side later, and that bet has materialized.

"It's a car wash," laughed the Crew defender. "It's a manual one - whoever loses, that guy has to wash the other's car. Just the outside!"

If Gehrig's prediction comes true, he won't have to worry about washing Higuain's car at all, but he did caution that Argentina should be focused.

"Here's my thing: the Brazilian backline is one of the better backlines in the World Cup. With the likes of David Luiz, Maicon, Dante and Marcelo - if these guys can't get it done, are [Ezequiel] Garay or [Martin] Demichelis going to get it done?

"I think that Argentina is going to be better prepared [than Brazil was]. It's going to be a tough game. You could see the way they played against Holland. They protected against the counter and they didn't really get isolated with Robben in one-v-one situations. That's not what you want to do. I think Argentina is going to be prepared, but I think the score is going to be 3-1 to Germany."

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